Needless to say, Flannery was not expecting such interest, though she figured she probably should have. With a sharp snap of the cigarette box lid, she put it back into her pocket and flipped open the lighter. Once the cigarette was lit, she returned the lighter to the pouch as well and took a drag. "'Course they do, hon. You get people buyin' for all of them reasons. Medicine mostly though. You know how much people will pay for a pound of ginseng? People believe all sorts of plants do crazy things," she said with a wave of her hand, pulling the cigarette out of her mouth. "Now, I don't know if some of these plants actually do what people claim they do, but," she gave a light hearted shrug, "ain't my problem. Medicinal plants are the easiest to transport i've found, but rich folk do love them fancy flowering plants like the ones outside."
Goodness, this woman was front loaded on the questions, but Flannery wouldn't lie about liking to hear herself talk. "People though? Depends. It's a niche market, but certain folks in certain places will pay a good price for different herbs. Rich folk seem to be interested in the so called 'exotic' stuff, but you get people from time to time askin' for old-timey family remedies. As for
me, i've been doin' this since I was just small. Papa showed me what plants helped a upset stomach, and it just went from there. Went to college for it even, for awhile."
Flannery's descriptions had been accompanied by the light scratching of pencil on paper, rarely pausing for longer than it took to listen to a bit more of the botanist's description before continuing on at the pace it had before. Even after Flannery ended, Ana continued, her wrist shifting and articulating as she transferred thought to page. She turned back to her companion.
"This is wonderful, that a woman can find employment picking and selling
plants! And … college? I did not realize a woman could
go to college. The western world is so progressive." She glanced over her shoulder, noting the small todo at the door and that scattering of papers it looked to concern, before turning back and taking a sip of the alcohol in front of her. "What need could Mr. Green have for a botanist?"
Flannery took another drag of her cigarette as the woman scratched away at the paper, amused. "They have all-women colleges back home in the States now. They're still a little new, but folks like you and I can finally go get ourselves an education." Flannery followed her glance, leaning back in her seat as she shifted her cigarette between her fingers so she could scoop up her own glass of alcohol.
"Money, mostly," she said after taking a sip. "And i'm sure to make sure none of you folks go rubbin' up against anythin' poisonous, or worse, eatin' it. There's all sorts of plants that look like they'd be mighty fine to snack on in jungles like these that will drop you dead by sunset."
"Really?"
Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed, Ana squirmed in her seat uncomfortably, suddenly unsure her presence on this voyage was to her own best interest. First the humidity; now this American brought rumors of deadly plants? What was she supposed to do as they wandered about the jungle: avoid touching every single bit of foliage for fear that it might cause her to fall into a coma? Bringing the glass to her lips, she drained the remaining ounce and a half of liquid, ignoring the burning it left in her throat as she'd trained herself to do back home.
"
Well," she coughed, setting the glass down with more vigor than she'd intended and smiling. "It's a good thing Green has hired a
botanik, then. I can't write a story if I'm dead."
Flannery idly tapped the ashes of her cigarette into the nearest ashtray, a smirk lingering on her lips. Was that really making her so uncomfortable? It wasn't like the plants were going to lash out and eat her or anything… at least, Flannery
hoped they weren't going to. And if they did, well, that would just be a fabulous amount of money for her.
"Look," she began, jumping ever so slightly as the glass slammed into the table, "all you need to worry about is not shovin' weird plants into your mouth. Just listen to me, and you'll be right as rain. Ain't lost a man yet on either of the expeditions i've been on before, and I don't plan on breaking that streak." Flannery waved her hand dismissively, leaving a few smoke rings in the process.